The current version of the sign next to the V-1, which made its debut sometime
around 2005.
It reads
German V-1
First test-fired in December, 1941, the German-built V-1 was a winged subsonic
missile. The British nicknamed it the "Buzz Bomb" because of the unusual noise
produced by its aero-pulse jet engine. Beginning in June, 1944, more than
20,000 V-1s were launched against England and Allied-held targets in Europe.
Many V-1s failed to reach their intended target because of their slow speed and
less-than-accurate guidance system. Launched from a ramp and directed to its
target by a pre-set guidance system, the V-1 carried 901.6 kg (1,988 lbs) of
explosives consisting of a mixture of TNT and ammonium nitrate (Amatol). In
the late 1940s, captured V-1 missiles were used by the U.S. Air Force and Navy
for testing at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico.
Length: |
27.1 ft (8.26 m) |
Diameter: |
2.75 ft (0.838 m) |
Weight: |
4,858 lbs (21,620N) |
Thrust: |
1,100 lbs (4,900N) |
Velocity: |
350 mph (560 km/hr) |
Range: |
150-230 mi (240-370 km) |
Contractors |
German Air Force |
Note that the photo on the sign depicts a JB-2 Loon, the American version of the
V-1. Even without the United States Air Force roundel on the fuselage, the
JB-2 an be easily distinguished from the V-1 by the shape of the forward pulse
jet support fairing: the leading and trailing edges of the V-1 fairing were
parallel, both swept back, while the leading edge of the JB-2's fairing was
nearly vertical and its trailing edge swept back at a steep angle.
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